Blood and Water
by DramaLexy
Summary: After five years onboard the Enterprise, can Uhura and Spock mix family and duty? COMPLETE
1. Priorities

TITLE: Blood & Water

AUTHOR: DramaLexy

DISCLAIMER: don't own, don't sue

AUTHOR'S NOTE: To everyone who read my first story: hi, again! I hope you like this one, too. For everyone who hasn't: why haven't you?? Just kidding. This is a sequel, but you don't have to read the first story to understand it. Basically, all you need to know Nyota and Spock got married on the Enterprise about a year after the movie, and this is now 4 years after that. (But if you'd like to go read the first story, I won't complain.)

* * *

The USS Enterprise was about to depart from high orbit of the planet Lenosa. Or at least they were supposed to be departing. James Kirk scowled as he looked over to the communications station on his bridge. One of his closest friends was supposed to be at that station instead of the fresh-faced ensign that was currently sitting there, but she was ten – now eleven – minutes late for her shift.

The turbolift doors opened, and Kirk didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "Sorry, Captain," Nyota Uhura said as she made her way over to take her post.

"Glad you could find the time to join us," he told her. "Hope your job's not interrupting something more important."

She ignored his tone. "You want a doctor's note?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You have one? For what?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Her fingers danced across her console, "I'm opening a channel to the Lenosan consulate."

Before Kirk could say anything else, the diminutive, blue-haired leader of the planet appeared on the screen. "Has the time come to say farewell?" she asked.

Kirk gave his best farm-boy smile, and Nyota hated to think of what exactly he'd been doing during his leave on the planet. "Unfortunately, it has. On behalf of my crew, I wanted to thank you for your very generous hospitality…"

The official goodbyes went just as smoothly as the rest of their time at the planet. The Lenosans were a very open and artistic society and had been very interested in relations with the Federation. Everyone who had been lucky enough to get shore leave on the planet had come back with souvenirs and a sun tan.

Once the Enterprise was at warp, heading on to its next assignment, things on the bridge calmed down slightly. Spock got a chance to step away from the science station and approach his wife. "Is everything…all right?" he asked, referring to her comments from when she'd entered the room.

Nyota nodded, knowing what else he was asking her without actually saying it out loud. "False alarm," she quickly replied.

He considered that for a moment. "Are you all right?"

She forced a smile. "I'm fine. We'll talk tonight."

Spock was the first to get back to their quarters, and had food ready (with the assistance of their food synthesizer) by the time that Nyota arrived. "I'm not that hungry," she told him when she saw the plates upon walking in the door. "Sorry."

"It is not a problem. Are you sure that you're all right?"

"I'm fine!" she shot, then realized how it had sounded. "Okay, I guess I'm not fine. It's stupid, really…Yesterday I was terrified by the idea that I might be pregnant and now I'm disappointed I'm not."

He sat down with her on the couch. "It is understandable."

"Is it really? Because you can explain it to me, then."

"Yesterday you were only thinking of your fears. Now that they will not be coming to pass, you can consider the other aspects of the situation."

She sighed. "I was awake half the night thinking about what it would be like. How it would feel to have a child, what it would look like. I was trying to talk myself out of all the negatives of being pregnant right now on this ship – and I think it might have worked."

"I did not sleep well last night either."

"I still think it's too much. Yes, Enterprise is normally on peaceful and scientific operations but it's still dangerous. This ship isn't set up for families, and frankly, neither are our schedules at the moment."

Spock slowly nodded. "I understand your reasoning. We have been onboard the ship for 5 years; perhaps it is time for something else."

Nyota narrowed her eyes; she knew her husband well, and right now he was trying to figure out how to tell her something he wasn't sure she'd like. "What did you do?" she asked.

"I sent a message to Admiral Pike this morning, before I knew the results of your test."

"Saying what?"

"Merely inquiring into his current teachings at the Academy…and whether there were any open spaces for the coming year."

She was speechless for a moment. "Are you serious?"

"I shared the concerns that you voiced last night. It was logical to look into the availability of alternate options."

Nyota thought about that. "What did he say?"

"Their advanced courses in phonology have not been offered since I took my position here on the Enterprise. They are also in need of a teacher for several of the basic language courses."

"You ARE serious," she concluded. "Wow. Being back planet-side would be strange."

"It would be an adjustment," he agreed, "But I believe you were right when you stated that it would be the best environment for having a family."

She nodded. "So we're doing this?"

"It would appear so. There is one other person we must speak with, however."

Nyota frowned. "Yeah…How do you think Jim's going to take it?"

* * *

TBC...

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! :-)


	2. Distress Signal

**A/N: Thanks for all of the responses I've gotten so far! For everyone who expressed concern about them leaving the ship - does anyone ever REALLY leave the Enterprise? :-)**

* * *

It wasn't entirely surprising that Kirk didn't take the news well.

"Is this a joke?" he asked when they met with him the following morning. Neither answered. "You're serious? You're leaving, just like that?" They were planning on departing when Enterprise reached the Earth space dock in three weeks.

"It was illogical to assume that the crew would remain unchanged for a long period of time," Spock pointed out.

"To assume, maybe. But to hope for it…I can't imagine this ship without you.

Nyota sighed. "Priorities change, Jim."

"Okay, fine, but think about it – how do you top growing up on a starship as far as life experiences? We can work out issues with shifts, and you've got a whole cadre of people to babysit – including yours truly."

Nyota and Spock exchanged a Look at that statement; Kirk with a small child was an interesting mental picture. "As much as we appreciate the offer," she finally said, "Those are only a few of our concerns. There's nothing you can do about the biggest one – is it fair to expose a child – "

"Or children," Spock added, which earned him a Look of his own from his wife.

"To the danger of life in space," she continued. "That will never go away."

"You're explorers," Kirk pointed out. "I think we all managed to thoroughly explore San Francisco during our Academy days – it's going to bore the hell out of you now."

"It may take some time to adjust," Spock acknowledged, "But we will have new ventures to focus our attention on."

"We're trying to do what'll be best," Nyota added. "Can you at least accept that?"

Kirk sighed. "Yeah, I can…just as long as I don't have to be happy about losing two of the best on my crew."

* * *

A week later, Enterprise was finishing up one of its last tasks before heading back to Earth: one of the astronomical surveys that everyone loved so much. They'd been dodging ion storms ever since they arrived in the area, which had made life a little more difficult, but the data they were getting was highly valuable.

"Okay, now you're just showing off," Kirk told Sulu as the helmsman deftly kept the Enterprise hovering right on the edge of one of the storms.

Sulu smiled. "I aim to please."

"We are not the recommended minimum safe distance from a storm of this Force level," Spock pointed out from his place at the science station.

"Minimum safe distance would require that we stop our survey until the storm passes," Kirk shot back. Spock wasn't impressed.

"If this ship is damaged or destroyed by the storm, the results of our survey will lose their significance," the Vulcan countered.

The Captain sighed. "Well, it was fun while it lasted. Mr. Sulu, back us off."

"Aye, Captain."

Nyota looked down as her console beeped. "Captain, I'm picking up an automated distress signal."

"Location?"

"Seventy million kilometers to port-forward. Sending the coordinates to the con."

"Lay in a course," Kirk ordered. "Full impulse."

"Aye, Sir," Sulu replied.

Upon arriving at the scene, they found a small, battered and broken freighter adrift in space. "Hail them," Kirk told Nyota.

She did, but shook her head a moment later. "No response."

"They have lost many of their critical systems," Spock reported as he completed his scans. "Life support is failing. I am only detecting one lifesign."

"Kirk to transporter room," Kirk called into the communications system, "Can you lock onto the survivor and beam them aboard?"

"Attempting to, Captain. There's a lot of interference."

"Acknowledged." He stepped over to Nyota's station. "Do you recognize the ship?" he asked.

She shook her head. "There's not much left to recognize."

He nodded. "Go see what you can find out."

* * *

By the time Nyota got to the transporter room, they'd gotten a lock on the sole survivor. "Energizing," the tech announced. Two security guards were also present.

They all stared in surprise at who materialized on the pad – a little girl who couldn't have been any older than seven. Terrified to suddenly find herself in new surroundings with several strange people, she tried to back away, but ended up tripping and falling.

Nyota took in her appearance as she carefully approached the child. Unruly dark curls were hiding part of her face, but she could see there was a ridge running from her nose up her forehead. From that, she first thought that maybe the child was Farian, but she also had two horizontal creases across her nose at the base of the ridge.

"Can you understand me?" she asked in Farian, trying to narrow down the child's origins. There was no understanding in her eyes. "Can you tell me your name?" she tried again using a more obscure dialect. Still nothing. Nyota thought hard about what other species the little girl could be, given her physical characteristics. "How about where you're from?" she asked, switching languages to Sapoian.

That time, she caught a brief flash of recognition on the girl's face, although she still didn't say a word. "You understood that, didn't you? My name is Uhura. You're on the starship Enterprise. Don't be frightened; you're safe here." She offered a hand to the girl to help her up, but she just stared at it. "We won't hurt you, I promise. We just want to make sure you're all right. Can you tell me what your name is?" The child was silent.

McCoy came in the room, along with a nurse, and joined Nyota on the transporter pad. "Is she hurt?" he asked the communications officer.

"I don't think so," she replied, switching back to English. "Nothing too serious at least. She's not talking at the moment."

The Doctor nodded. "We'll take her to sickbay, get her checked out." He started to reach for the girl's hand, but she shied away.

"This is one of our doctors," Nyota explained in Sapoian. "He's going to help you." But the little girl wouldn't let him touch her. She moved away, hiding from McCoy behind Nyota. "If I come with you, will you go to sickbay?" After a moment, that earned a nod. She smiled. "Okay, then, let's go."

This time she accepted Nyota's hand and they all got to their feet. As they left the transporter room and headed for the turbolift, she smiled at the child, squeezing her little hand to reassure her. "Everything's going to be okay now, I promise."

* * *

TBC...


	3. the Little Guest

The girl was absolutely silent and still as a statue while McCoy examined her. He tried his best to make things a little less scary, but she wasn't biting.

"I promise this won't hurt a bit," he told her, pausing to let Nyota translate. "This scanner lets me see what's going on inside your body. You want to try it on me first?" After the question had been repeated in her language, he offered the device to her, but she didn't respond and continued staring at the floor. "Okay, that's all right. I'll be done as quick as I can."

Nyota looked up as she saw Kirk come into sickbay and started to step away to talk to him, but the little girl tightened her grip on her hand. "I'll be right back," she promised, but to no avail. Kirk came over to them instead.

"A bit smaller of a crewman than I was expecting," he quipped. "How is she?"

"Not talking," Nyota replied. "Whatever she's been through must have been pretty bad."

"Do we know where she's from?"

"She understands Sapoian, but I don't think that's where she came from. If I remember my history correctly, there was a civil war on Sapoia 300 years ago; the victors still reside there but the other side left the planet and became nomadic. Federation ships have occasionally run into their vessels."

"You think that was one of their ships?"

"It's my best guess at the moment unless she starts talking."

He nodded. "Keep me updated."

"Yes, Sir."

McCoy put away the scanner as Kirk left. "All right, I don't need healthy people cluttering up my sickbay. Try to get some food in her if she's hungry and let her get some rest."

Nyota was somewhat surprised, having assumed that the little girl would stay in sickbay for the time being, but she nodded. "Come on," she told the child in her language and they headed for the door.

* * *

She figured that going to the mess hall might be overwhelming – lots of people and noise – so she took the girl back to her quarters. She could make her something to eat with the food sequencer if she was hungry.

"This is where I live," she explained to the child as they came in the door. "This is the living area, and there's a bit of a kitchen over there. Are you hungry?" No response. "I can make you something if you tell me what you want…Maybe a little bit later? You're probably tired."

She moved on to the bedroom area. "I guess normally you'll have the couch, but my husband's working right now, so you can take a nap in here…How about a warm shower first to relax?"

The girl followed her into the bathroom, and Nyota started the water running. She got out a few extra towels, plus soap and a washrag. "Do you need help, or do you want me to wait outside?" she asked, and the child quickly caught hold of her arm. Leaving wasn't an option. "All right, I'll stay."

The child timidly watched the water fall, and slowly reached a hand out to touch it. She barely let a drop hit her fingers before yanking her hand back, but once she realized that it hadn't actually hurt her, she reached forward again.

"Have you ever seen a shower before?" Nyota asked, and took the blank stare she received as a no. She knew that she was undoubtedly going to get wet during this process, so she pulled off her red uniform top, leaving the black sleeveless shirt that she wore underneath and her skirt. She also took off her boots and socks. After a moment of hesitation, the little girl mimicked her, pulling her own somewhat tattered clothes and shoes off. She picked up the soap and washcloth, understanding what those were for, and then just stood in front of the spray of water, watching it.

"Don't be afraid; it's only water," Nyota told her. The child reached out a hand to touch it again, then moved to stand underneath the stream. A small smile crossed her face at the temperature, and Nyota laughed. "See, feels good, doesn't it?"

Once she was cleaned up and bundled into a couple towels, they went back out into the bedroom. "Let me see if I can find something for you to change into…" Nyota told her. The best she could come up with was an Academy t-shirt. It came down to the child's knees, making a pretty good sleep shirt. "This is from where I went to school," Nyota explained as she helped her put it on.

She brushed out the girl's hair – which was no small task – and got her tucked into bed. "I'll be right out there if you need anything, okay?" However, when Nyota started to leave, the child kept her grip on her hand. "Okay, okay, I'll stay until you fall asleep."

* * *

When Spock arrived home after his shift, he wasn't expecting to find his wife curled up on their bed with a little girl. "Nyota?" he asked, and she instantly motioned for him to be quiet. She carefully pulled her arm out from under the child and slipped off the bed without waking her.

"She only just fell asleep about a half hour ago," she whispered as they retreated to the main area of their quarters.

"Should she be out of sickbay?"

"McCoy gave her a clean bill of health. I thought that if we can get her to feel safe and comfortable then maybe she'll open up and start talking – right now we don't even know her name."

He slowly nodded. "We sent an away team to the ship, shut off the automated distress beacon. There was a crew of twenty before they encountered an ion storm."

Nyota shook her head in disbelief. "Someone that young doesn't belong out here."

"If your hypothesis on her origins is correct, it is the only life she or her family has known for generations."

"That doesn't mean that it's right."

They both looked up at the sound of a frightened cry. The little girl stepped out of the bedroom area, looking around in confusion. When she saw Nyota, she ran to her, clinging to her arm. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have left you alone," she told the child in her language. "Are you okay?"

That didn't get an answer, of course, but Nyota noticed that the girl was staring up at the third person in the room. "This is Spock, my husband. You can trust him, too, okay? We're going to make sure you're all right." The girl eyed him warily, but relaxed slightly. "Do you want to go back to sleep?" Nyota asked. She shook her head. "Are you hungry?" Another no. Pulling Nyota behind her, she went over to the window and stared out at the stars. "You want to just sit and watch the universe go by for a little bit?" She took a lack of an answer as a yes.

* * *

TBC...

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews I've gotten! Especially for the one that suggested Kirk take in the little girl; that cracked me up. :-)**


	4. Silent Treatment

The little girl stayed by the window all evening, motionlessly watching the stars pass by outside. She seemed quite content to do so all by herself – it was one of very few things she was comfortable doing without Nyota at her side.

She and Spock threw a few glances in the child's direction as they had dinner together just a few feet away. "I wish I knew what she was thinking," the communications officer quietly commented. "I wish I knew how to help her."

"You are doing everything that you can," Spock assured her. "It is fortunate that you are able to communicate with her."

"For all the good a one-way conversation does…Do you have any idea how long after the storm hit we found that ship?"

"Probably no more than twelve hours. She was beamed out of an interior living space; that is likely what saved her when the hull succumbed to the forces of the storm."

"Where were the others found?"

"Mainly in engineering or command areas. The majority of them perished quickly due to the depressurization."

Nyota froze. "So she was alone for all of that time? Just waiting for someone to come for her?"

Spock slowly nodded. "It is highly probable."

"No wonder she won't let me out of her sight. She's afraid of another person disappearing on her…Do you think she knows her parents are gone?"

He nodded. "Speaking from experience, it is likely that she could feel it."

* * *

The child still refused to eat anything all that night or in the morning. Nyota had been given the day off from her duties on the bridge so that she could continue to try to get the girl to open up. They had very little to go on at the moment as far as trying to figure out what to do with her.

By mid-day, however, Nyota's main concern was no longer their little guest's silence, but the fact that she'd gone more than a day and a half without eating anything. "You really need to have some of this," she told her as she offered a plate with lunch. She wasn't sure what would be an acceptable menu for the alien child, so had tried to pick a range of basic items from the food sequencer's repertoire. "Just pick one thing and eat some. I don't want you to get sick." Still nothing.

Nyota sighed, beginning to get frustrated. "Please talk to me. Just tell me what do for you. Do you not like anything here? Is there something you want to eat instead? I just want to help you." Was she really doing any good at all for this child? Was she actually cut out to be someone's mother?

The girl stared at her for a long moment before reaching out and using her finger to scoop up a little bit of the mashed potatoes that were on the plate. She tasted it, and then reached back for more, offering a tiny smile.

Nyota returned it. "You're welcome," she quietly said. "So I guess we've found one thing you like. What else? You want to try some carrots?" She pointed to the orange vegetable. After a moment of hesitation, the little girl picked up one piece and put it in her mouth. Nyota tried not to laugh at the look of utter disgust that crossed her face. "Okay, carrots are out – I won't make those again. How about the chicken..."

* * *

The plate was still more full than empty by the time she was done, but it was a start, and at least Nyota had some idea of what she liked. She had a little bit more to eat at dinner, which was also encouraging.

That night, Spock watched from the doorway to their bedroom as Nyota brushed out their little guest's hair before getting her tucked in on their couch. His wife continued to amaze him on a daily basis.

"There we go," she quietly said as she finished with the child's hair. They'd found some extra-small shorts and a shirt for her to wear during the day, but she was still sleeping in Nyota's Academy t-shirt. The girl smiled slightly when she saw her reflection in the small mirror that Nyota held for her.

"Okay, bedtime, then." She got her blankets all tucked in and turned out the main lights. "Sweet dreams," she whispered to the little girl. "I'll be right in there," she pointed toward the bedroom, "If you need me, okay?" That got a nod in response.

Spock kissed his wife once she'd joined him. "What was that for?" she asked with a smile.

"You will be an excellent mother."

She laughed. "You think so?"

"I know that it is true. I have been observing you. Your patience, your kindness…our children will be very fortunate."

Nyota smiled, returning his kiss. "You keep using the plural."

"Do you have something against it?"

"Let's take things one step at a time. But our child – or maybe children – will be lucky to have you as a father, too."

* * *

At about 0300 hours, they were awakened by the sound of a scream. As Nyota got out of bed, she could hear terrified cries of, "Mama! Mama!" coming from the living area. She instantly pulled the little girl into her arms.

"You're okay," she promised, smoothing the child's hair back. "You're safe now, I promise…" Spock turned the lights on before joining them. "Did you have a dream about your ship?" Nyota asked the little girl, who nodded. "I know that being in a new place is scary, and there are a lot of unfamiliar people, but you are safe here. And we're going to do everything we can to help you."

"Thank you," the child finally whispered.

Nyota smiled. "You're welcome. You want to tell me what your name is?"

"Leryn."

That admission earned her a hug. "Thank you, sweetheart. It's good to properly meet you."

* * *

TBC...


	5. Cultural Differences

Once Leryn started talking, they were able to get several useful pieces of information from her. She had indeed grown up on the ship they'd rescued her from, which had belonged to her tribe. All of the nomadic former-Sapoians were now known as Sapani and their ships roamed far and wide throughout the quadrant.

Kirk asked Nyota to bring the girl up to the bridge so that they could have a meeting and attempt to figure out what to do with her. "Have you seen any other Sapani ships recently?" Nyota asked Leryn in her language on behalf of the Captain. The two of them, Kirk, Spock, and Chekov were standing around one of the display screens at the back of the bridge. A map was showing their current position in the quadrant.

The child shook her head. "We hadn't found anyone willing to trade with us in a long time. Our engine was breaking a lot and we didn't have parts. When the storm came, we couldn't get away." Nyota translated that.

"We have run sensor sweeps of this area," Chekov said, indicating a large portion of the map with his finger, "And have not detected any vessels."

"Does she know where another ship might be?" Kirk asked Nyota. She translated the question, and Leryn shook her head 'no' in response. "Can we take her to her people's planet?"

"No," Nyota instantly replied. "It's not her planet anymore; there's still a lot of hostility from the war, and she would NOT be welcome."

"I must point out," Spock said, "That if we do not resume our course for Earth in the next four hours, we will be late for our arrival at the space dock."

"As much as I wouldn't mind pissing off the station director," Kirk replied, "I know it would be more hassle than it's worth. Does anyone have any other suggestions besides taking her back with us? Starfleet command can get the call out to start looking for other Sapani ships." The silence was his answer. "All right," he said as he returned to his chair, "Mr. Sulu, lay in a course for home, max warp."

"Aye, Captain."

* * *

With the meeting finished, Nyota and Leryn headed back to their quarters. "Where is the ship going?" the little girl asked in her language after the turbolift doors had shut behind them.

"This ship is based from my planet, Earth. We were on our way back there when we found you. We're going to get our superiors to have other ships help with trying to find your people."

"I've never heard of Earth."

Nyota smiled. "Well, you'll get to see it soon enough."

Leryn thought about that for a long moment. "Is Mr. Spock going to go, too?" she asked.

"Yes. He and I are actually leaving the Enterprise when we get to Earth, so we'll be able to make sure that you get to Starfleet Headquarters without any problems."

The little girl frowned. "I don't think he likes me."

"Why would you say that?"

"He never smiles at me. He's always serious."

Nyota had to laugh at that. "Yes, he is serious a lot of the time, but that's part of his culture. He's a Vulcan – well, half-Vulcan – and they work very hard at controlling their emotions."

"That doesn't sound very fun."

"Well, don't worry about him not liking you. He just does things a little differently from you and I. Just like I'm sure that there are things here on Enterprise that are different from your ship."

Leryn nodded. "No one ate in their rooms on my ship. We would always have meals together in the morning and evening. That was the only way that the people from the night shift would see the people on the day shift…I miss them."

Nyota hugged her. "I know you do. I'm sorry. Don't be afraid to talk about them anytime you want, okay? If you're sad or remember something, you can come and talk to me or Spock about it. I promise." She nodded.

* * *

Nyota and Spock took Leryn to the mess hall for dinner that night, since she'd mentioned the fact that she missed it. The little girl had been very interested to see the Enterprise's multi-species crew, asking Nyota about the background of nearly everyone who passed their table. She had finally been forced to make the little girl stop her inquisition and eat her dinner before it got cold.

Back in their quarters, however, the questions had continued. "Why are there so many different types of people here?" Leryn asked Nyota as she brushed out the girl's hair before bed.

"We are all working toward the same goal."

"But why do it together? Why don't Humans take care of themselves and Vulcans take care of themselves and everybody else take care of themselves, too?"

"Because everyone can get much more out of the experience when we all contribute. Each of our people has certain strengths that we can offer."

Leryn thought about that. "Sapani work by ourselves. We don't need help from anyone else…except now I'm all alone."

"You're not all alone. You have me, and Spock, and everyone else who's working to try and find one of your people's ships."

Leryn looked over to Spock, who was finishing up some work for the next day at the desk. "Are you sure that he likes me?" she asked. Nyota laughed.

"I promise. Come on, now, time to go to sleep." She tucked the little girl in and turned out the light. "Tomorrow's going to be our last day on the Enterprise. You'll get to see Earth from orbit, and then we'll go down to the surface the next day."

Leryn nodded. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

Spock moved into the bedroom area to finish his work so that Leryn could have the lights out and go to sleep. "Is everything all right?" he quietly asked his wife as she moved about the room, getting ready for bed herself.

"Yeah, it is…Leryn brought up something interesting earlier."

"What?"

"She was afraid you didn't like her, because she's never seen you smile…I never even thought about it, because I'm so used to it after all this time, but…I guess it would be something different for a 7-year-old to get used to."

Spock put down his PADD. "What did you say to her?"

"That it was just your culture, and I've been trying to explain things to her about all the different cultures on Enterprise, but…it's not what she's been raised with."

He considered that. "Someday we might be having a similar conversation with our child."

Nyota sat down beside him on the bed. "Our child will always know how much you care about it."

"I question the logic of that assumption; after all it will only be ¼ Vulcan. Can you be sure that he or she will not wonder why I am different from human fathers? That it will not wonder if it is loved?"

"It may wonder why you are different, but I know you, Spock. You are not your father." He didn't seem entirely certain of that. "Do you really want to do this? Do you want to have a family?"

"Of course," he quickly responded. "I just…I sometimes cannot help but wonder what I would have to offer a mostly human child."

"The same as what you offer its fully human mother. Your knowledge, your loyalty, your morals, your kindness. It's why I love you."

"Do…do I tell you that I love you often enough?"

She smiled as she leaned over to kiss him. "I will never get tired of hearing it, but I always know that it's true."

* * *

TBC...


	6. Surprises

Just after dinner the following night, the Enterprise arrived at the space dock. Nyota watched from the window in her quarters with Leryn as the ship slipped into a high orbit before rendezvousing with the station.

"That's Earth?" the little girl asked.

"That's Earth," Nyota confirmed. "You see that continent right there? That's called Africa. That's where I was born."

"Is that where we're going?"

"No. We're going to that continent over there," she pointed. "It's called North America, and we're going to a city called San Francisco."

The communications system beeped. "Lieutenant Uhura, please report to the mess hall," Chekov's voice came across.

She frowned. "I wonder what that's about?"

"Are we going somewhere?" Leryn asked. She hadn't been able to understand the message, but she had recognized her temporary guardian's name.

"We are now."

* * *

They ran into Spock in the hallway; he was also headed for the same destination. Both officers had a feeling they knew what was going on, but it was still a nice surprise to come into the mess hall and see all of their friends gathered with decorations and special food.

"You didn't think that we'd let you go without a party, did you?" Kirk asked the couple.

"One can always hope," Spock deadpanned.

There was a cake to share and a few toasts made. Many of the ship's crew came over to wish the couple well throughout the night. "I have a feeling," Bones told Spock, "That I'm going to be seeing his mug," he gestured in Kirk's direction, "In my sickbay a lot more often without you around to try and keep him in line."

The Vulcan nodded. "It is likely."

"Hey, I've been doing pretty well lately!" Kirk protested. "I'm averaging less than one trip per away mission. That's way better than our first year out here."

"Indeed," Spock agreed.

"Have you seen Leryn?" Nyota asked as she approached them. "She was getting tired, so she went to sit down, and now I can't find her."

The men all looked around the room; the little girl was nowhere in sight. "She couldn't have gotten far," Kirk assured her. "We'll find her."

They separated in order to look around the room, although weren't having much success. "Anything?" Nyota asked Spock as she joined him.

He shook his head. "Have you checked the corridor?"

"No, that was next." She started to turn away but almost ran into Chekov as he approached them.

"Have you been looking for our little guest?" he asked.

"Yes, did you see her?" He nodded with a smile and gestured for them to follow him. Back in the kitchen, Leryn was curled up in the corner, fast asleep.

"What is she doing in here?" Nyota wondered.

"It is quiet," Chekov pointed out.

Spock stepped forward to pick up the sleeping child, and realized what else had drawn Leryn to her chosen spot. "The wall is warm. The conduit for the cooking equipment must be behind it."

Nyota smiled as she watched her husband carefully cradle the little girl. "We should take her back to our quarters."

He shook his head. "Stay here if you would like. I'll put her to bed."

"Are you sure?" He nodded. "Okay, if she wakes up and needs to talk, contact me."

"We will be fine."

Back in their quarters, he got Leryn changed into her sleep clothes and tucked in on the couch, all without waking her. As he sat back for a moment to watch the little girl sleep, Spock marveled at how much she had been through. How was it possible for someone so small and fragile to be so resilient?

Before standing to head into his bedroom, he echoed what he'd heard his wife tell the child every night, "Sweet dreams."

* * *

It was a couple hours before Nyota returned to their quarters. She was surprised to see that Leryn wasn't sleeping on the couch as she came into the darkened living area. "Spock?" she called as she headed for the bedroom. She stopped short upon walking through the doorway, a smile crossing her face. Her husband was asleep on the bed with Leryn curled up beside him, also sound asleep. It was an adorable sight.

_I told her he liked her, _Nyota thought to herself as she reached to pick up the little girl and take her back to the living room. However, the movement awakened Spock.

"What time is it?" he sleepily asked as he sat up.

"Pretty late," Nyota replied, "I'm sorry about that. How did she end up in here?"

"I believe that she had a nightmare."

She frowned. "Why didn't you contact me?"

"It was not necessary. Although we could not communicate, I believe that all she truly needed was to know that she was not alone."

Nyota smiled. "I'm going to go put her on the couch; I'll be right back."

When she returned, she joined her husband on the bed. "Were you at the party all this time?" Spock asked, having looked at the clock.

"Not exactly. I'm sorry I was gone so long."

"We are both very aware that you enjoy these social gatherings more than I do."

"True. Once the party wound down, Jim decided that I needed one last late-night card game before I left. It was us and McCoy and Scotty and Chekov. I don't know when Pavel finally picked up a poker face, but he cleaned us all out."

Spock noticed as her smile turned a little wistful. "You are thinking of how much you will miss them," he surmised.

She nodded. "This ship has been our family for the past few years. Leaving is a little scary."

"I, too, have grown accustomed to this environment," he agreed.

Nyota smiled. "It's been quite an adventure. And now we get to start another one. I'm curious to see where it will lead."

Spock nodded. "As am I."

* * *

TBC...


	7. Strange New World

By the next morning, Nyota was regretting how late the party in the mess hall had lasted. They were going to have a very busy day with not much sleep.

The shuttle ride from the space dock down to San Francisco offered an impressive view of the planet. "That's the Golden Gate Bridge," Nyota pointed out to the little girl. "And that's the Starfleet Academy campus."

"It is a very big city," Leryn told her.

She smiled. "There are other cities on the planet that are far bigger."

When they landed at the busy spaceport, Nyota made sure she had a good grip on Leryn's hand. She needn't have worried, however; the child clung to her like a lifeline as they made their way toward the exit. The area was noisy, with voices speaking several different languages over the sounds of the vessels that were coming and going. Admiral Pike was waiting for them with transportation to HQ. "How was the trip?" he asked the two officers as they all got into the car.

"Good, Sir," Spock replied.

"How is our guest doing?"

"I think she's understandably intimidated by the new surroundings," Nyota answered for Leryn before explaining to her what was going on in her own language.

"I'm afraid that the language barrier is turning out to be a larger issue than I'd anticipated," Pike told them. "We've only managed to find five people in Starfleet who speak Sapoian – you included – and three are off-world. Would you be willing to continue to be her guardians?"

Nyota looked to Spock, who nodded. "Yes," she told the Admiral. "I think we're all starting to get used to each other."

* * *

It took a few hours before Spock, Nyota, and Leryn finally reached the quarters that had been set up for them at the Academy. They'd had to speak with a few other officers at headquarters about the little girl. Starfleet had ordered all ships currently on assignment to keep an eye out for Sapani vessels crossing their paths, but there was little that could be done until one was found. Everyone was agreeable to letting the little girl stay with Nyota and Spock until something more permanent – whatever that solution may be – was worked out.

After their meetings were finished, they then had to then make sure that identification paperwork for Leryn was in order with the records office. Since her people weren't part of the Federation, that had been a long, boring process. Nyota knew they were fortunate that Leryn had waited so patiently the entire time; if it had been her in the little girl's place, she would have been bouncing off the walls.

Once they finally arrived at their new home, they found it was a little Spartan. The walls were plain white, with dark furniture. There was a living room, with a sofa under the windows and a desk and computer terminal in the opposite corner. The kitchen actually had real cooking equipment, in addition to the food sequencer. The master bed and bath were slightly bigger than what they'd had on the Enterprise and Leryn had her own room.

"We'll find some things to make it a little brighter in here," Nyota offered when she realized that the little girl's room didn't have a window. It was really supposed to be a study, but the desk had been moved out and a bed had been moved in. "And you can make some pictures for the walls," she added. Leryn nodded slightly before continuing to wander through the apartment, looking at everything. She'd been quiet for most of the day; being dropped into another totally new environment was definitely a little overwhelming.

Nyota sat down on the couch in the living room with an exhausted sigh. "Is it just me, or does real gravity take more energy out of you?" she asked her husband.

"It is different from the artificial variety," Spock agreed, "Although I cannot be certain of how exactly." All Starfleet ships were set to the same gravitational force as Earth, but somehow actually being back on the planet felt different.

"Are you hungry?" she asked Leryn in her language, looking for a clock. "How long has it been since we left Enterprise?" she asked Spock.

"Long enough," he answered. "I can go and get some food from the commissary if you're tired."

Nyota smiled. "I love you."

"I know," he replied before leaving.

She turned her attention to Leryn, who was staring out the window at the busy city skyline. "When do the stars come?" the little girl asked.

"Um, I think in about an hour or so. It varies depending on what season it is. Right now, it's early summer, so it takes a while to get dark." She didn't miss Leryn's look of disappointment. "Don't worry, it'll be nighttime soon. Let's go and start getting some of our things unpacked before dinner."

* * *

Spock soon returned with some food from the Academy commissary and they all sat around the table in the kitchen to eat. Once they were done, Spock and Nyota continued the unpacking process while Leryn retook her seat by the window to wait for the sunset. Unfortunately, with the extremely bright lights of the city all around them, the sky never turned completely black and only a couple stars were barely visible.

"Where are your stars?" Leryn sadly asked Nyota as she joined the little girl on the couch.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I forgot how bright the skyline is here. The stars are still there, I promise, but we just can't see them very well."

"I miss the sky like it used to be."

"I know. Sometimes the clouds here are just as interesting as the stars in space. It's different, but it's still good."

Leryn looked away, practically in tears. "I want to go back."

Nyota hugged her. "We're going to do everything we can to find another ship for you to go to. I promise. But in the meantime, being on Earth isn't so bad. Maybe you'll even learn to like it."

* * *

TBC...

**A/N: Thanks for all the feedback! After a crazy long and busy day at work, it was so nice to come home to. :-) **

**A couple people commented that they thought Spock would know Leryn's language, too. Yes, I know he was Nyota's teacher at the Academy, but I figured she couldn't have taken every single class from him. According to the bio on the official movie website, although he taught phonology, he had specialized in computer programming. So...maybe I'm wrong (wouldn't be the first time!), but that was my reasoning.  
**


	8. Acclimating

As the summer progressed, all three of them began to acclimate to life on Earth. Spock was teaching a course at the Academy in an effort to ease back into teaching, while Nyota had decided to use the summer to work on teaching Leryn English. There was still no word about any Sapani vessels that could claim her, so they were planning to have her start school on Earth in the fall. Starfleet had a program designed for the children of ambassadors and other officers from other worlds.

When Spock came home one night, he was mildly amused to find both Nyota and Leryn in the center of a very large mess in their very small kitchen. "Should I inquire as to what you are doing?"

Nyota took in the scene around her and had to laugh. "The food sequencer wasn't working, so I told Leryn we would make dinner ourselves. I think we need practice, though."

"Learning hard," Leryn agreed in broken English.

"Should I go get something for us at the commissary while you two clean up?" Spock offered.

"That's probably a good plan. We got dessert right, though." Nyota pointed to a plate of cookies that was on the table.

"Perhaps you should stick to that specialty," he suggested, and then ducked the hand towel she threw at him.

An hour later, the kitchen was back in order and dinner had been picked up. "How was work?" Nyota asked her husband as they ate.

"Eventful. I caught two students cheating during an examination."

"Did they hack into one of your programs?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "No, they were far less imaginative. A display of creativity would have made the reports I had to write more interesting." She laughed. "How was your day?"

"Good. We got some new clothes for Leryn for school and picked up some of the supplies she needs. I think she's starting to get excited, right?" she asked the girl.

"Maybe. Me stay here with you instead?"

Nyota smiled. "I wish. I think I'd much prefer that over teaching a bunch of first-years introductory Romulan and Klingon."

"You, too, were once a first-year," Spock pointed out. "A far-above-average one, but still."

"I remember. And hopefully none of them try to break the rules that I – or shall I say, WE – broke when I was a first-year."

"Break…rules?" Leryn asked, confused by the words. Nyota translated it for her. "Oh…you get in trouble?" she asked, and wasn't expecting her guardian to laugh.

"Not exactly."

* * *

That night, Nyota then tucked Leryn into her bed after brushing out her hair. "Sweet dreams," she told the little girl before turning out the light.

"Yours, too," she replied as she curled up under her blankets. Nyota smiled as she joined Spock in the kitchen. He was finishing cleaning up the few spots she'd missed earlier.

"Has anyone told you recently that you're anal?" she asked her husband as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He pretended to think about it. "No, I believe you were the last one. I put in a request to have the sequencer repaired; they will likely come tomorrow."

"Mmm, thank you…Are you glad that we're back?"

"I have always enjoyed teaching."

She raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't what I asked."

"It…I am still adjusting."

She sighed. "Yeah. Me, too. It's not as easy as I'd thought it would be…as I'd hoped it would be."

"I believe the Earth saying is that the end result will be worth it?"

The thought of their future family brought her smile back. "Yeah, it definitely will."

* * *

During the off-week between the end of the summer term and the beginning of the fall one, Nyota and Spock decided to take Leryn on a camping trip. They hadn't been able to get out of San Francisco much with their busy schedules, but thought that she would enjoy seeing a little more of Earth.

Spock piloted their rented shuttle east across the Sierra Nevadas, then south toward the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. Leryn sat on Nyota's lap in the co-pilot's seat for the right, excitedly pointing out all of the sights – the tall, snow-capped mountains, the beautiful rivers and valleys. All of it was new and amazing to her since she'd never been able to spend much time on a planet before.

By the time they'd landed and started to make their campsite on the north rim of the canyon, the sky was beginning to turn to fire, with ribbons pink and orange strewn out from the setting sun. Leryn sat on a rock and watched, mystified, as the sky went black and the galaxy put on a dazzling show. More tiny stars dotted the sky than anyone could count.

"It is beautiful," the little girl whispered as Nyota took a seat beside her.

She smiled. "That it is. I told you that the stars were still there. There's the Big Dipper, and there's Cassiopeia – "

"What are those?" Leryn asked. Nyota took her arm and pointed both of their fingers at the stars in the sky.

"That's Cassiopeia," she said, tracing the five stars in the constellation. "And you see those four stars together? Three more make the handle…" she traced out the pattern, "So that's the Big Dipper."

"That's a strange name."

Nyota shrugged. "It's what the shape looks like. When I was your age, I used to lie out on a blanket in the field by my home and watch the stars."

"And then you traveled to them," the little girl pointed out.

"Eventually, yeah, I did. But even though I've lived among them, I still like watching them from here on Earth."

Leryn's gaze turned skyward once more. "I wish it was like this in San Francisco."

"Me, too."

A few hours later, after Leryn was tucked away in a sleeping bag inside their tent, Nyota joined Spock in finishing cleaning up the campsite for the night.

"You have become very attached to her, haven't you?" he asked his wife at one point, breaking the silence.

She stopped, surprised by the question. "Yeah, I have. It's hard to imagine what things would be like without her now…Is that a bad thing?"

Spock shook his head. "No, it is not."

"What if…Would you be opposed to trying to keep her? To adopting her, I mean? We said we wanted a family – we never said how we'd get it."

He nodded. "I would agree with your assessment; after the time we've spent together, I would not know how to say goodbye."

Nyota smiled, leaning over to give him a kiss. "I guess we're going to be parents sooner than we thought."

* * *

TBC...

**A/N: Thanks again for the feedback!**


	9. First Day Jitters

They weren't sure if Leryn would be open to the idea yet, since it had only been a few months since her parents' death, so they decided to wait a while before mentioning anything to her. Starfleet was still looking for any of her people's vessels, although Nyota and Spock both hoped that the search would continue to be fruitless.

Spock and Nyota had arranged their teaching schedules so that he would be there to get Leryn ready for school in the mornings while Nyota taught early classes, and then she could be home in the afternoons with the little girl. On her first day, however, Spock realized that maybe they should have reversed the order.

"I want my hair in a ponytail," Leryn demanded as she came out of her room, holding her brush in one hand and a hairband in the other.

Spock was in the kitchen, trying to get together breakfast for her. "A ponytail?" he asked.

She nodded. "Like Nyota wears."

"I do not know how to do this."

The girl shrugged. "Do it like she does. Brush my hair, then pull it up and put this on it."

It sounded simple, and looked easy enough whenever Nyota styled her hair in the morning. "Come sit down," Spock told her, and joined her on the couch.

"How many people are there in my class?" Leryn asked as he brushed her hair.

"I am uncertain, although I do not believe there are more than ten."

"Ten? That's a lot!"

"It is very small for a school on Earth," Spock informed her.

"I was the only one little on my ship. Ryasi was sixteen."

Spock's first couple of attempts at pulling up her hair failed miserably. Leryn's curly brown locks were far shorter than Nyota's and he discovered through trial and error that a high pony-tail wasn't possible. The third attempt was crooked, but at least the band stayed on, and stray pieces of hair weren't sticking out. "There," he told her. "Now come eat your breakfast."

Leryn just barely finished her cereal in time to grab her bag and head downstairs before the van came to get her. "Bye!" she happily called as she got into the vehicle. Spock watched as it pulled away. It seemed like the little girl wasall adapting well to her new environment.

* * *

By that afternoon, however, Nyota was thinking exactly the opposite. Leryn was scowling as she stomped into their building, up the stairs, and into their quarters.

"What's wrong?" Nyota asked. Leryn ignored her. "Did something happen at school?"

"Not going back."

She took that as a yes. "Can you tell me what happened?" Leryn shook her head. "I can't help fix it if I don't know what's wrong."

"You cannot fix!" She threw her bag across the room, aiming for her bedroom door. The sensor didn't recognize the incoming object fast enough, however, and so the door was still shut when the bag ran into it. Leryn curled up in the corner between the sofa and the wall, her legs tucked under her chin. Nyota knelt in front of her.

"Hey. Whatever happened, I want to help, okay? You just have to tell me what's going on?" Again, Leryn shook her head, burying her face in her knees.

"Cannot fix," she repeated.

* * *

The little girl was still in the corner by the time Spock got home. "I have no idea what happened," Nyota quietly told him, "But it must have been Earth-shattering for a 7-year-old. You want to give it a try?"

"I can attempt to speak with her," he agreed. Leryn looked away as he joined her on the floor. "You know that we only want to help you, do you not? We do not want to see you sad."

"Cannot fix," she repeated again.

"There is nothing we can do until we know what is wrong."

Leryn shook her head. "Cannot fix!"

Spock gently forced her to look at him. "Why can't we fix it, Leryn?"

"Cannot fix me."

"There is nothing wrong with you."

She nodded, wiping her eyes. "I don't have a home."

Spock was confused. "At the present, this is your home."

Leryn shook her head. "No. Everyone at school has a project on their home. Everyone has a planet. Not me. I don't have a home."

"Your home was on a ship."

"Ships go away. Mishna said now I have nothing. He said I didn't have a real home because planets stay forever."

Spock shook his head. "No…no, they don't always…The fact that it goes around a star does not make it a home. The people that care for you and care about you are what make a location into a home." Leryn didn't answer. "When I was your age, I was attacked at my school because I had two homes – Earth and Vulcan. They would say very cruel things about me and my parents, but I knew the truth. Wherever my family was, that was my home. Your home was very unique, and you should always be proud of your culture."

Leryn thought about that for a long moment. "Where is Vulcan?"

"It…it no longer exists."

She cocked her head in confusion. "It went away? Like my ship?"

"Yes."

"Were your Mama and Papa there?"

"Yes, they were…I was not able to save my mother."

There was another thoughtful pause. "So you lost your home, too?"

He nodded. "One of them."

"You miss it?"

"Very much."

"Me, too."

"I know that it is difficult, but you must not allow this boy's words to affect you. Remember that you know the truth, and that is all that matters."

Leryn nodded. "Anything can be a real home, because anything can go away. Right?"

"Yes. Yes, it can."

* * *

TBC...


	10. Habits and Hobbies

The next morning was a bit of a nervous struggle, but Leryn do go back to school. As each day passed, things started to get better. It soon became clear that she wasn't the only target for the classroom bully; as other children were also called names or made fun of, they began to bond over their dislike for the boy. Leryn started making some friends and quickly decided that she liked school. When it came time for Parents' Night, a little over a month into the academic year, she was very excited to be able to show off what she'd done so far to Nyota and Spock.

"I made that one," she told them as she showed them around her classroom, pointing to one of the pictures hung up on the wall. It showed a blue and green planet surrounded by an impressive array of stars. "And that one," she added, indicating another drawing of a familiar rust-colored bridge and tall buildings. Other pictures, done by her classmates, depicted stick-figure people that were presumably the children's families or landscapes from alien worlds. The program was run by Starfleet, with small class sizes and the work tailored to the needs of the children, who came from a variety of backgrounds.

Leryn's teacher approached them. "Don't forget to show them your history project," she reminded the little girl.

"Oh!" Leryn quickly led them over to a set of posters that were hung on the wall at the back of the room. "See? It's about Vulcan."

The teacher smiled. "Most of the students did their projects on their or their parents' homeworlds. Leryn had a bit of trouble deciding on a topic at the beginning, but became adamant that she learn about your planet, Commander."

Spock nodded as he looked at the poster. "It appears that you have done a fine job." The little girl beamed proudly.

"Why don't you go and join the others for some punch and cookies?" the teacher suggested, and the little girl scampered off. "I wanted to tell you that I think you've done an admirable thing, taking her in," she told Nyota and Spock. "Leryn is like a sponge – she is able to learn very quickly and is incredibly inquisitive. I was very glad to see it when she started to come out of her shell and interact with the other children more."

"We were, too," Nyota agreed.

"I'm curious about one thing, though. Does she often play with things at home? Toys or tools or things like that?"

They exchanged a Look. "She has a couple dolls and other toys," Nyota said. "I'm not sure if I understand what you mean."

The teacher nodded. "I'm sorry; I suppose I'm not being very clear. There have been a few instances where I'll find that Leryn has completely disassembled something here in the classroom. The first time I saw it, I was concerned, but she can always put everything back together exactly as she found it. I was wondering if you had noticed the same behavior, or knew how her mechanical skills had developed."

Both of them shook their heads. "We have not seen her do this at home," Spock replied.

"Interesting. It really is an amazing ability for someone of her age. We'll attempt to work her engineering talents into her assignments."

Leryn rejoined them at that moment, offering cookies for her guardians. Her teacher excused herself and went to talk to another family. "You like my school?" the little girl asked.

Nyota nodded. "Yes, we do. You've been doing some really great work."

* * *

Nyota and Spock kept an eye out for whether Leryn was taking items apart in their quarters, but didn't notice anything. Most nights, once her homework was done, they couldn't pry her away from their computer terminal. She was still deeply in love with the stars, and since she couldn't see them out the window, she enjoyed researching the constellations that were visible from Earth. And that pursuit gave Spock an idea.

One October evening, Nyota was sitting at the desk in their quarters working on lesson plans for her lectures the following say when the door opened and her husband came inside. "Hi," she told him.

"Hello. Where is Leryn?"

"In her room, doing her homework."

"No, I'm not," the little girl told them as she stood in her doorway.

Nyota rolled he eyes. "She's SUPPOSED to be doing her homework."

"I finished it, I promise."

"Well in that case," Spock told her, "I have something for you." He revealed a box that he'd been holding behind his back.

"What is it?" Leryn excitedly asked.

"Let's put it in your room and you will see." Nyota followed them through, also curious to see what Spock had gotten.

Inside of the box was a shiny black half-sphere, which Spock set down on her desk. He flipped off the light switch before touching the top of the shape. Instantly, tiny lights shone out from all over the object, creating patterns on the ceiling in the shape of constellations. Leryn's eyes went as big as saucers as she looked all around.

"I know that it is not the same as actually being in space," Spock explained, "But I thought that this would allow you to see the stars whenever you wished, even in the city."

"It's beautiful!" she cried, beginning to search for the constellations that she already knew. "Look, there is the Big Dipper! And Little Dipper…and Cassiopeia!" She ran back and gave him a big hug. "Thank you, thank you!"

"You are most welcome."

Nyota wrapped her arms around her husband as they watched Leryn excitedly go back to identifying the different groups of stars. "You're good," she commented, and could have sworn that she saw a tiny smile cross Spock's face.

"Thank you," he replied.

* * *

TBC...


	11. Getting Comfortable

Weekend mornings were usually pretty quiet. Spock had a Saturday study session for one of his courses, so he usually wasn't around until after lunchtime. That allowed Nyota and Leryn to have some girl time together in the morning and make breakfast themselves.

On one such Saturday, when Nyota went to wake up the little girl, she got a surprise upon opening the door. Leryn was seated on the floor with the pieces of her star globe scattered around her.

The child frowned as she realized she was no longer alone in her room. "I thought that I would finish faster," she stated, as though that explained everything.

"Why did you take it apart?" Nyota asked as she knelt across from her.

Leryn shrugged. "To see how it worked."

"Have you taken other things apart here?"

"A couple…I was the one who broke the food sequencer before. I am sorry. I was not used to your technology, but I wanted to know how it worked."

Nyota could understand that impulse. "It must have seemed like magic, didn't it?"

The little girl nodded. "I did not take anything here apart after that."

"You started doing it at school instead," Nyota realized.

Leryn nodded again. "I got better. I will put the star chart back together." And there wasn't a trace of doubt in her voice. Looking around, Nyota realized that what she'd initially believed to be chaos was actually quite organized. The pieces were laid out just as they'd been removed. Leryn had learned to be careful.

Silence fell for a long while as Nyota simply watched her work. She wasn't even sure where the little girl had gotten the screwdriver she was holding, but she was very methodical, carefully considering each item before putting it back in place, making sure that it all fit together properly.

"How did you learn to do this?" Nyota finally asked.

"On my ship. Sometimes, I was the only one who would fit to do repairs. Papa showed me how to take things apart and fix them and put them back together. It is much easier to take apart and put back when nothing is broken."

She smiled at that. "How old were you?"

"I don't know. As little as I can remember. I liked doing it – it was our time together."

"So maybe you started taking things apart here because you missed it?"

Leryn slowly nodded, looking up at her guardian sheepishly. "Are you angry?"

Nyota shook her head. "No. As long as from now on, you tell someone before you take something apart. At home or at school; I think you made your teacher a little nervous."

"I promise." With the final internal component in place, Leryn put the outer shell of the star chart back on and activated the device. The little lights turned on, displaying the constellations on the walls. She smiled proudly, and Nyota couldn't help but mirror it.

* * *

As winter approached, Spock and Nyota planned a ski trip in Europe. Leryn was terribly excited; she'd been telling all of her friends at school where they were going.

"I told Ziana all about the trip," Leryn informed Nyota as she brushed out her hair before bed. "That we're going to the other side of the planet and we're talking a shuttle ourselves, and I'm going to learn how to ski. She didn't know what skiing was, but I explained it."

Nyota smiled. Ziana was Leryn's best friend; they had had a sleepover the previous evening – the latest of several such playdates – at the other girl's house just outside of the city. She was glad that they'd become close friends; Leryn had benefited greatly from the social contact with someone else her age, and Nyota and Spock enjoyed the evenings with empty quarters.

"I guess Ziana probably wouldn't have seen snow on her planet, would she?" Nyota mused. Leryn shook her head; there was barely water on the desert world, let alone snow. "Well, I think bringing a snowball home might get a little messy, but we'll see what we can do. Maybe we'll take a small freezer unit in the shuttle." Leryn giggled. "All right, all done. Bedtime."

Leryn headed for her room and turned on her star chart; the little lights made for a good nightlight. Nyota tucked her blanket over her and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight…You know what?"

"I know that you're supposed to be going to sleep."

Leryn grinned impishly. "I like it here. Even if there aren't many stars. I don't want to leave anymore."

Nyota was speechless for a long moment. "Really?" She nodded. "We wanted to talk to you about that – about you staying here, with us, for good. I mean, we know that you had a family that loved you and we wouldn't want you to ever forget about them, but we were thinking that maybe we could be a new family and take care of you."

Leryn nodded. "I want that. I want to stay." That earned her another kiss on the forehead.

"Go to sleep; we'll talk about it more in the morning."

"Okay, but…"

"But what?"

Leryn gave her a sheepish grin. "If I can stay, and you're going to be my family…can I call you Mama and Papa?"

Nyota smiled. "There's nothing I'd like more."

* * *

They started working on the documents to make everything official, but it would take some time for the court system to approve it. All three of them were anxious for the process to be over.

One December afternoon, Nyota was waiting on the sidewalk outside of their building when Leryn's school van dropped her off. The little girl happily bounded out of the vehicle, waving a sheet of paper. "Look, Mama, look!" she exclaimed.

Nyota took the page and realized that it was a grammar test – with an A+ written at the top. "Oh, that's so wonderful!" she told the little girl, giving her a hug. "Congratulations, sweetheart."

"You are a good teacher," Leryn told her with a smile.

Nyota laughed. "I have about two hundred students between my classes right now, and none of their grades matter as much to me as yours."

Upstairs in their quarters, Nyota affixed the paper to one of the cabinets in the kitchen so that they could all see it. Leryn beamed proudly as she watched. "Do you have homework?" Nyota asked her.

"Do I have to do it? I already got an A."

She laughed. "Nice try, kiddo. If you don't do your homework, how are you going to get an A on your next exam?" Leryn grudgingly went to get out her books.

She was grading her own student's work while Leryn did her assignments when the door chime announced the arrival of a visitor. Nyota got up to answer it and was surprised to see Admiral Pike.

"At ease," he told her before she could come to attention.

"What can I do for you, Sir?"

"I needed to speak with you." She stepped back, letting him inside. "We received a message from the USS Korolev this morning. They've made contact with a Sapani ship, and told them about Leryn." Nyota felt her heart constrict, knowing what he was about to say next and dreading it. Just when everything was finally perfect… "They're coming here to take her back."

* * *

TBC...


	12. Fighting

It took two days and rides on a few different transports for the two Sapani representatives to reach Earth. Nyota and Spock wanted to meet with them as soon as they arrived, but it quickly became obvious that they had no interest in the encounter.

"Where is Leryn?" one of them asked as soon as they were escorted into a meeting room to join Nyota, Spock, and Admiral Pike. Her companion at least had the courtesy to start with introductions.

"I am Neric, and this is Devika," he said.

Nyota nodded. "I am Lieutenant Uhura and this is my husband, Commander Spock. We have taken care of Leryn since she was found."

That seemed to surprise them. "Just the two of you?" Neric questioned. Nyota nodded, and wasn't sure if she liked the look that the two shared.

"Where is the child?" Devika repeated. "We want to see her."

"We were hoping to speak with you first," Nyota started.

"Is there something wrong with her?" Neric asked. "Is she injured?"

Nyota was beginning to realize that both translating and being part of the conversation was going to be a large amount of work. "No, she's fine," she answered before quickly explaining the conversation in English. It was mostly for Pike's benefit, since Spock had started learning Sapoian over the last few months, although he wasn't fluent yet. "She's very healthy and doing well here on Earth," Nyota continued to tell the Sapani. "That is what we wanted to talk to you about – during her time here, she has become a part of our family and we were hoping you would be agreeable to allowing her to stay here."

"Out of the question," Devika quickly replied. There was no translation required; her body language and a quick shake of the head said it all. "She belongs with her people."

"With all due respect," Spock spoke up, "The only family she had ever known died months ago in an ion storm. She does not know you any better than she initially knew us."

"But we know how to properly guide her, how to teach her the things she should know," Devika responded. "She belongs among the stars, just as our people have been for generations. To leave her here, on a planet, is unthinkable."

"We appreciate all that you have done for her," Neric added. "I'm sure it must not have been easy to care for a child without others assisting you."

Nyota shook her head. "In our cultures, it's what we're accustomed to. Leryn has been able to learn a great deal about how other societies live. She has been homesick, and will always miss her ship, but she's been happy here."

Devika frowned "Our people are being driven out of existence, and the loss of one of our ships was a great tragedy. If we are to survive, we must protect our own kind, not abandon them to outsiders."

"My people are also in danger of extinction," Spock spoke up after his wife translated. "My marriage was not received well on my homeworld, but I believe we lose far more when we are unwilling to share ourselves with the rest of the galaxy, and receive from them in return."

"You chose her over one of your own kind?" the woman asked him, indicating Nyota. "And deserted your home?"

Spock nodded. "Yes."

She sniffed, looking away from them. "Then you are a fool." Nyota wasn't sure if her husband had understood that or not, but chose not to explain it either way. It wouldn't have helped anything.

"I am sorry for our impatience," Neric said, "But much time has been lost already. May we please have the girl so that we can return to our ship?"

Nyota and Spock looked to Pike, knowing deep down that there was nothing they could do. The law favored the Sapani, and they were about to lose the little girl they considered their daughter. "Can you please go get Leryn ready for the trip?" the Admiral quietly asked.

* * *

Leryn was anxiously awaiting their return back at their quarters. Spock started putting some of her things into a bag while Nyota sat her down to explain.

"Do I really have to go?" the little girl asked as they took seats on the couch. Nyota simply nodded, unsure if she could trust her voice enough to respond. How had their lives gotten so tangled up with this one child in only a few short months? "But I don't want to! Why wouldn't they listen to you?"

"They are your people," she told Leryn, doing her best to fight off tears. "They want to do what's best for you, and they don't think that that's staying here."

"How do they know? Please, Mama, I don't want to leave!"

"I know you don't. I don't want to lose you, either. But there isn't anything that I can do. You aren't members of the Federation, and we don't have the right to go against your people's wishes."

"We could run away and hide," Leryn suggested. "If they can't find us, then they can't take me."

"That would not be a proper life for you," Spock told her as he joined them. "Consider the fact that you will be able to return to the way of life you knew before."

Leryn looked pained. "It won't be the same. It'll never be the same. If I can't go back to my ship like it was, then I want to stay here. I do still miss them, but you're my family now!"

The door chimed, and Nyota got up to answer it. Leryn suddenly bolted from the couch, running to her room and shutting the door. "Leryn!" Spock called after her as Admiral Pike, Devika, and Neric came in the apartment.

"She's upset," Nyota explained to the officials.

Neither of the Sapani seemed concerned about that. "She will readjust once she is where she belongs," Devika asserted.

Spock tried to open the door, but Leryn had locked it from the inside. "Leryn, please open the door."

"I don't want to!" they could hear her yell.

Pike swallowed hard, knowing this was going to be far harder than it had to be. "Override it," he told Spock, who complied with the order after a moment of hesitation. Leryn tried to run and hide under her bed, but he managed to grab her before she could.

"Why don't you want me anymore?" the little girl howled as she was brought out into the living room. "I promise I'll be good if you let me stay!"

Nyota caught both of her arms and held her. "Listen to me," she told the child. "We want you more than you'll ever know. And if we could keep you, we would. You are a wonderful little girl and we love you very much…but we have to let you go." She wiped away a couple of Leryn's tears. "You're going to be back with the stars that you love so much. You'll be able to see them all the time."

Leryn shook her head. "But I love you and Papa more."

Nyota tried to smile, even though her own tears were escaping. "We will always love you, never forget that, okay? Always."

She threw herself into Nyota's arms, then Spock's. After it became clear that she wasn't going to let go on her own, he steeled himself and handed her over to Neric. They could hear the little girl crying until the door shut behind Pike and the Sapani as they left.

Like a balloon that the air had been let out of, Nyota suddenly fell to her knees in the middle of the room and wept. What had they just done? How could they let her go? Spock held his wife, knowing there was nothing he could say. A single tear rolled down his own cheek.

* * *

TBC...

**A/N: I was wowed by all the feedback I got for this. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! And special thanks to Bandbabe, who pointed out my spelling mistake in the last chapter's title. Apparently posting things early in the morning before work (and before fully waking up) may not be a good idea.**


	13. the Quiet

Nyota wasn't sure whether she would make it through that first night. The silence in their quarters was deafening. Looking around the room made her eyes well up. Leryn's math workbook was on the kitchen table, and one of her stuffed animals was on the couch. She got up and collected the items to put them away, but opening the door to Leryn's room was a mistake.

Her tears spilled as she took everything in. Most of her clothes and toys had been left behind. Her pink, blue, and purple blanket – which Leryn had picked out herself – was actually neatly smoothed over her bed. The little girl hated making her bed, but apparently had done it that morning without even being asked. Would she have a good bed or things to comfort her onboard her new ship? Who would be there for her when she had nightmares? Nyota couldn't imagine either of the representatives that had taken Leryn away being gentle with the little girl.

She stepped over to her desk and activated the star chart that was sitting on it. The little lights shone on the ceiling, and she marveled for a minute over the fact that Leryn had been able to successfully take apart and reassemble the toy. She wouldn't be going to school anymore, wouldn't be able to learn about different planets and cultures. Would there be other children on this ship for her to play with, or would she be alone again? They knew so little about the environment that they'd abandoned the child to – and it did feel like they'd abandoned her. She'd promised Leryn that they'd always make sure she was safe and taken care of, and that promise had definitely been broken.

Nyota closed the door behind her as she returned to the main room. She wasn't going back in there if she could help it; it wouldn't be productive. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she could see that Spock was still exactly where he'd been for the past couple of hours: meditating in the corner. She couldn't resent him for it – if he couldn't keep control of himself, then they'd both have a problem – but it still made her feel even more alone than she already was.

"Spock?" she quietly asked as she approached him. "I think I'm going to bed." It was a futile hope that he would perhaps get up and join her, or maybe even want to talk with her, but she still hoped.

Spock, however, didn't even open his eyes. "Goodnight," he told his wife.

She watched him for a moment, wondering what was going on inside of his head – wondering if she really even wanted to know. It was perhaps the first time that she'd really wished her husband was more human and could share his feelings openly. "Goodnight," she finally echoed before turning away.

He sighed once she was gone, the bedroom door shut. It felt like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff at the moment, and the desire to restore his inner balance had reached the point of desperation. He couldn't get his mind to calm down; it was running in 15 different directions at once. He was acutely aware of the fact that he couldn't give his wife what she needed – couldn't be who she needed – and that just added to his stress. In the morning, maybe, if he was feeling more put-together, then they could talk. He just had to get through the night first.

* * *

In the morning, however, Nyota was already gone before Spock woke up. It was fortunate that Vulcans needed far less sleep than humans, because he hadn't gotten more than three hours. A note on the kitchen table told him that she'd headed over to her office at the Academy to get some work done.

Over the next few days, work quickly became her favorite escape from the situation; there, she didn't have to think about how messed up everything was at home. Spock followed suit, recording even more hours at the Academy than his wife did. They barely saw each other, barely talked, and Nyota wasn't sure how to end the cycle they had started. And that was why she was so surprised to come home one night, about two weeks after Leryn was gone, and find her husband already in their quarters putting the finishing touches on dinner.

"Hi," she quietly said as she joined him in the kitchen. "That smells good."

"Hopefully you will say the same about how it tastes."

Nyota smiled. He had surprised her with dinner many times during their years on the Enterprise, a little gesture that she always appreciated. Sometimes it would be for special occasions or sometimes for no occasion at all. The memory of how their lives used to be was comforting. Maybe they could find a way back to that. "You want me to set the table?" she asked.

"If you don't mind."

As she finished putting out plates and silverware, she noticed that a light on the communications terminal by the desk was flashing, indicating that they had a message waiting.

When Spock went to serve their dinner, he saw that Nyota was still sitting at the desk, just staring at the screen. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

She tried to discretely wipe her eyes. "Um, there was a message from St. Moritz, the resort in Switzerland. Confirming that everything was set up for our trip next week."

Spock sighed; they'd both completely forgotten about the vacation. Right now, it was a reminder that neither needed about what they'd lost. "I'll contact them and cancel it tomorrow," he offered.

"Thank you… Um, I think I'm going to go take a shower."

"What about dinner?"

She offered a small, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I…I'm not that hungry anymore."

He sat down at the table once she was gone, contemplating what had just happened. Losing Leryn had cut deep. He'd had a tenuous hold on his own emotions recently and had no idea how to help his wife. There was nothing to say or do to fix the situation, so they'd simply avoided it. With each day that passed, it became harder and harder to broach the subject.

* * *

Nyota sat on the floor of the shower, her knees tucked under her chin as the warm water washed her tears away. She thought that she'd been doing so well the past couple of days. She'd been very careful not to even look at the door to Leryn's room. All of her toys and clothes had been put away out of sight. If she didn't think about what they'd lost, then she could almost get through her day like a normal functioning person. But then some little thing would set her off…

She could picture the little girl playing in the snow. She'd promised Leryn that they'd make snowmen and have a snowball fight. She'd been looking forward to the three of them curling up by a fireplace with cups of hot cocoa. None of those things were ever going to happen now.

She was fully aware that – contrary to what most of his students believed – her husband was not made of stone. He had to be hurting just as much as she was, but had been doing an admirable job of not showing it. It wouldn't be fair to make things harder for him by having to deal with her, too. So they didn't talk about it. And she hoped everyday that eventually it would get easier.

When she came out of the bathroom, wrapped in her favorite robe, she smiled slightly to see that a mug of tea was sitting on the nightstand beside the bed. He really was trying.

Fully prepared to reciprocate, she went to find her husband and see if there were leftovers to reheat. However, the living area of their quarters was empty. "Spock?" she called, just to be sure, but there was no answer.

She sat down on the couch with a sigh. Things would get better at some point, right?

* * *

TBC...

**A/N: I was blown away by the response to the previous chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I may be a little slow to update over the next couple of days (traveling for my graduation) but I'll do my best to keep getting chapters up.**


	14. Picking up the Pieces

After a few hours walking around the Academy grounds to collect his thoughts, Spock headed back home. He knew he'd been very inaccessible the past few weeks and didn't really blame his wife for not being able to talk to him.

Rarely in his life had he felt powerless, but on those few occasions, either his mother or Nyota had been there. Now, one of those was no longer an option and the other was the one that he was supposed to be helping. How could he face her, let her try to help him, when he couldn't do the same in return? More than any other time since leaving the Enterprise, Spock missed the friendships he'd found onboard the ship. Surely Kirk would have helped him get his head on straight by now.

As he came in the door to his and Nyota's quarters, Spock saw that she had fallen asleep on the couch, likely waiting for him. He stopped for a long moment to watch her, debating whether or not to wake her up. She probably needed the rest, he decided. She'd been getting tired so easily lately.

He carefully picked her up and carried her to their bedroom. As he laid her down and pulled the blankets up, she stirred slightly.

"Spock?" she sleepily asked, eyes still closed. It was a chance to do or say something – maybe they could talk, could try to stop their progression down the dangerous road they were on. But he really had no idea how to start. And therefore he stayed silent. Nyota hadn't truly woken up, so she didn't say anything else. He gently kissed her forehead before going to get ready for bed himself.

* * *

It took a few days before they were both at home at a decent hour in order to have dinner together. Nyota was getting used to getting a message in her office almost every afternoon from her husband, telling her he was working late. But they finally managed to get their schedules synched and took advantage of the opportunity.

"I'll set the table," Nyota volunteered once the food was almost ready.

"Thank you."

"I was thinking," she spoke up as she laid out the silverware. "Maybe we should find somewhere else to live."

Spock looked up at that. "What are you suggesting?"

"We've got a lot of space now that we don't really need. Someone else might."

His eyes were focused on the table as he brought their plates over. "I had thought that perhaps at one point, we would need the space again."

Nyota blinked back tears. "I…um, I can't think about that right now," she told him. "I'm sorry, I just…It's too soon."

As Spock looked up at his wife, he felt like he was really seeing her for the first time in days. She looked pale and exhausted and he knew he wasn't helping. Why the hell had he decided to bring up the subject? Sure, it was a logical reason for not moving out, but what did that matter to her at the moment? "I apologize, I was not thinking…Are you all right, Nyota?"

She nodded, trying to force a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine, just…it's been a lot to deal with. I…can't handle with the memories here. I've been trying and I thought it would get better, but…if this is how things are going to be from now on, then I'd like to start over fresh."

He slowly nodded. "Whatever you think is best."

* * *

Nyota started looking for other quarters the next day at work. Switching things around with Academy housing now that the spring term had started would probably be difficult, but it was worth a try. Maybe if all else failed, they could move off-campus somewhere else in the city.

Sitting in her office that afternoon, she looked up from the exams she was grading when the communications terminal beeped. An incoming message was waiting, and Nyota toggled the button before turning back to her work. She assumed that it was yet another call from Spock about the fact that he was working late instead of meeting her for dinner. However, she had assumed wrong.

"Mama?" a little voice asked, and she looked up fast to see Leryn on the screen.

"Sweetheart, where are you? Are you okay?"

Leryn glanced behind her, as though she were looking for someone to notice what she was doing and stop her. "I miss you," she told Nyota. "I had to call you. Mama, I want to go home."

Her heart broke. "I know, sweetheart, but you can't."

"Do you still love me?"

"Of course we do. We think about you every day."

Nyota could hear a door open somewhere off camera. "What are you doing?" a man's voice asked; the little girl shrank away from the terminal.

"Leryn?" Nyota asked. What kind of trouble was the child about to get into?

"I want to go home, Mama!" Leryn cried just before an arm crossed the view and terminated the signal. Nyota was stunned. The little girl had been RIGHT THERE in front of her and there was absolutely nothing she could do. Her daughter – for that's what Leryn really was – was alone and hurting and she couldn't fix it…or could she?

Wiping her tears away, Nyota quickly downloaded the information about the call to a PADD. The subspace routing data would give her some idea of where Leryn's ship was currently located. She then activated the communications system and sent a message to the only person she could think of that might be crazy enough to help.

James Kirk smirked when he answered the call and saw who had appeared on the communications terminal in his quarters. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to change your mind."

* * *

TBC...


	15. Plan of Action

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to change your mind."

Nyota rolled her eyes at Kirk's comment. "I need your help."

"I take it from the encrypted channel we're using that this is something that'll probably lead to trouble?" Her silence was his answer. "Well, you've got my interest so far."

"The USS Korolev found a Sapani ship a month ago. They came and took Leryn back."

Kirk immediately sobered. "I'm so sorry, Uhura. I had no idea."

"Thank you. It's…been difficult to try to move on. But I just got a communication from her. She doesn't want to be with them, Jim, and I feel like I have to try one more time to convince them to let us have her."

"So you need to find the ship," he surmised.

"Will you help?"

"Do you have any leads to go on? The quadrant's a big place."

"I got the subspace routing for Leryn's message. It's not exact coordinates – "

"But it's better than a needle in a haystack. We're currently at Space Station K2; can you get transportation there?"

"I'll check the shuttle schedule. Thank you, Jim."

"Hey, thank me when we find her." He ended the transmission, and Nyota checked the Shuttle manifest. There was a ship leaving from San Francisco that evening for Jupiter station. From there, she could take a couple other flights between various posts in the area and meet up with the Enterprise by the following night.

She was about to log out of the terminal and leave, but stopped and downloaded Leryn's conversation to her PADD first. The sight of the little girl on the screen strengthened her resolve – she had to find her again.

* * *

She headed back to her quarters to pack a bag, and was putting a last few items in when the door opened and Spock came inside. "Going somewhere?" he asked her.

"Don't you have a class right now?"

"I had the teaching assistant cover it. Answer me, Nyota, where are you going?"

She looked away, unable to face him. "I'll be back soon," she promised.

"That was not what I asked…You are leaving?"

"I have to."

"Why? Why were you going to slip out without a word?"

"I was going to send you a message from the Enterprise."

That was not at all what he'd been expecting. After hearing through the grapevine that his wife was taking a vacation he knew nothing about, he'd assumed that she was leaving to get away from him, because of the problems they'd been having. But now… "The Enterprise?" he asked, confused.

Nyota pulled her PADD out from her bag and handed it to him. After she selected the correct file, Leryn's face appeared on the screen.

_Mama?_ Her little voice played back. _I miss you. I had to call you. Mama, I want to go home._

Nyota paused the recording with a shaking hand. "I have to find her, Spock. I have to go, and I couldn't tell you because I was afraid you'd try to stop me."

He slowly shook his head, visibly disturbed by the image he was holding. "I won't," he replied, his voice gravely. "I heard at the Academy that you had requested leave. I had no idea…"

She took the PADD back and closed her bag. "There's a shuttle leaving in an hour. With a few other connections, I'll be on the Enterprise by tomorrow night. I'll call you once I'm there."

Spock grabbed her arm as she started to walk past him. "No."

"You said you wouldn't stop me."

He nodded. "And I will keep that promise. I, too, requested leave. I'll go with you."

* * *

The journey back to their former ship was long, and both were tired by the time their shuttle was approaching Space Station K2. The sight of the Enterprise hovering above the science platform was a welcome one.

"Didn't realize how much I'd missed her," Nyota whispered as she watched out the window. The ship did look magnificent.

Kirk was waiting for them in the Enterprise's transporter room when they were beamed aboard. "Welcome back," he told them. "Sorry it's not under better circumstances."

Nyota nodded slightly. "Thank you, again, for doing this."

He shrugged. "We'll take the scenic route to our next survey site. Do you have the coordinates for where the message came from?" She handed him the information. "All right, I'll pass this on to Chekov. You two should get some rest. We're leaving the station at 0700 tomorrow."

Spock, however, found sleep hard to come by that night. Not wanting to disturb Nyota with his tossing and turning, he got up and left their quarters. Perhaps taking a few laps around the ship would calm his mind…

At one point, Kirk fell into step with his friend, and they walked together for several minutes before either said anything. "I really am sorry," the Captain finally spoke up. "I had heard from Uhura that you were going to adopt her; I can't imagine having someone I cared about that much taken away."

Spock nodded. "Thank you. It…has not been easy. Things have not been the same between us since then."

"I really don't want to be the logical one in this, but…have you thought about what you're actually going to say if we do find this ship? I mean… whatever you guys tried the first time obviously didn't work."

"I have been considering the chance of a successful outcome to this endeavor. I am not comfortable with the notion that I have set Nyota up to be hurt once more."

Kirk frowned. "I guess I can take some of the blame for that, too."

"I have begun to have a new appreciation for my father. He told me as a boy that his marriage to my mother was a logical choice for an ambassador. As though it was an experiment he had conducted without thinking of how he would be stuck with the result…or, rather, results. Even more than most, my father prided himself in not allowing his emotions to control him. Caring about someone can cloud rational thought and leave one vulnerable. Suppression of the feeling is far more logical and safer."

"And boring," Kirk cut in. "You can't actually go through life without caring for anyone, I don't care who you are."

"I never wished to copy his methods, but I now believe I understand them. A family is a very tangled web of emotional connections that I do not believe I was adequately prepared to partake in. However...I grew accustomed to the life we were leading together. I must hope that time has assisted our case."

"How so?"

"When the Sapani arrived on Earth, they had already selected a course of action to follow and would not allow themselves to be dissuaded from it. Leryn was a possession to them, not a person. They could not understand the impact of their actions. Perhaps now they will have learned from her, as we did."

Kirk clapped his friend on the shoulder. "For what it's worth, my fingers are crossed."

* * *

TBC...

**A/N: Once again, thanks so much for all of the feedback!**


	16. Lost and Found

After two days of searching, the Enterprise hadn't found any sign of the Sapani ship and they were beginning to get discouraged. When Spock awakened on the morning of the third day, he was alone in bed. As he headed into the living area of their quarters, he found that Nyota was already up and sipping a mug of tea as she sat on the couch in the living area. Her eyes were fixed on the message playing on the PADD that she was holding.

_I miss you. I had to call you. Mama, I want to go home._

She rewound the recording and started it again. After the second time, Spock joined her, gently reaching over and stopping the playback. "Don't do this to yourself," he told her.

She shook her head, biting back tears. "I keep seeing her in my dreams. Begging me to come and find her, but I never can. We shouldn't have let them take her."

"We didn't have a choice."

"We still don't have any legal right to be trying to do this," she pointed out. "Thank you for not trying to stop me."

"I am still uncertain why you thought I would."

"Are you going to try to tell me that running off on this search was a logical plan of action?"

"I have learned that there are certain situations where logic does not apply. Matters concerning our family can be placed in that category."

Nyota smiled slightly, although her eyes were shining. "Our family…" she quietly echoed. "What if this doesn't work, Spock? I feel like these past few weeks, we've both been completely alone even when we were together. We didn't just lose Leryn; we lost ourselves."

"I…was uncertain how to assist you. It seemed illogical to ask for your support when I could not provide the same."

"How do you know?" she responded. "You didn't try…Although I guess I'm no less guilty. I can see it when you're struggling with your emotions; I've always seen it. It seemed…illogical to add my grief to your burden."

"And so we remained alone…It is the nature of life that our relationship will be tested many times. We must determine how to adapt and meet these challenges together."

"Talking is a start, right?" Nyota asked.

Spock nodded, and was about to say something when a voice cut in over the comm. system. "Lieutenant Uhura, Commander Spock, report to the bridge immediately."

* * *

As they reached the Enterprise's nerve center, they both noticed the ship that was being displayed on the view screen – it was Sapani.

"That's the ship?" Uhura asked Kirk.

"What are the odds that there is more than one in this sector?" he retorted. "You ready for this?" he asked his friends. When they both nodded, he turned to the communications officer. "Hail them."

Devika was the one who appeared on the screen and glared when she realized who had contacted them. "Why are you here?" she asked, before anyone could begin the standard greeting. "I want the Federation to leave us alone. We have the right to live our lives in peace!"

"I'm not disputing that," Kirk replied after Nyota translated. "But – "

Spock put a hand on his friend's shoulder, stopping him. "We mean you no harm or disrespect," he told the woman in her own language, carefully considering his words. "But our people's paths have crossed and are now linked. My wife and I came to care for Leryn as if she were our own child. No matter where she is or where we are, she will be with us, and we, with her."

"Your contact with her aboard this vessel was unacceptable."

"It was she who contacted me," Nyota pointed out. "She's too small to have gone through what she has and only wants some security. That's all we want for her – to be secure and happy. If…if the best place for her truly is on your ship, then we will be forced to accept that, and – if you allow it – we will do our best to help Leryn accept it as well. But we're asking that you please honestly consider what is in her best interest." Devika was silent for a long moment before terminating the connection.

"Captain?" the Ensign at the communications station started, but Kirk shut him up with a wave of his hand. There was no use in hailing them again. If they had something to say, they would call back.

"What did you offer?" he asked his friend.

"That we would help her adjust," Nyota replied, "If they really were going to keep her…I'm not sure if I could actually do it, though. I don't know if I could say goodbye to her twice."

Kirk tried to offer her a smile. "Then they'll just have to see reason. No other option."

* * *

It was nearly an hour before they received an incoming message from the ship. Nyota and Spock were beginning to give up on the hope that this would work out when the communications station beeped. "We're being hailed by the Sapani ship," the officer reported.

Kirk nodded. "Onscreen."

Devika once again appeared. "I have spoken with the others on my ship," she said. "It is clear to us all that you both care for the child a great deal. Truthfully, Leryn has had much greater difficulty adapting to your separation than we had anticipated. I had not imagined that a Sapani child could become so attached to two outsiders so quickly." Nyota simply nodded; it seemed like that admission had been very difficult for the other woman.

"We do love her very much," she agreed.

"I am forced to retract my statement that you would not be suitable for raising the girl. However, I still believe that the environment you had her living in is unacceptable. My people belong in communities among the stars; it is the life we have known for generations and it must continue to be so. That is nonnegotiable."

"What did she say?" Kirk asked.

"They don't want her to be raised on a planet," Nyota replied. "They're adamant that she belongs in space."

The captain grinned. "Well, it just so happens that I've got a starship under my command. The kid's more than welcome on it, as are her parents."

Nyota looked to Spock for his reaction. He slowly nodded; there really was no choice involved. They'd do whatever they had to. "Tell her," he insisted.

She gave a nod of her own before turning back to the viewscreen. "She'll be raised in space," she promised the other woman. "She'll be raised on this ship."

* * *

TBC...


	17. Epilogue

Nyota and Spock were anxiously waiting in the Enterprise's transporter room as Leryn re-materialized on the pad. "Mama! Papa!" the little girl instantly cried, running for them. "I knew you would come for me! I wished for it every day."

McCoy smiled as he walked through the door and saw the little family. "I need to give a certain somebody a check-up before she can be set loose on the ship," he told them, "But then she's all yours."

Leryn kept a firm grasp on each of her parents' hands. "They come, too," she demanded of the doctor, a look on her face that meant there was no room for negotiation.

McCoy knew it was impossible, but could have sworn it was an expression she'd inherited straight from Nyota. He simply nodded. "I can handle that."

* * *

Even once she was in sickbay, seated on one of the beds, Leryn refused to let Nyota or Spock get any farther than arm's reach from her. Apparently it was going to take time for her to trust that she wasn't going to have to leave her family again.

"You remember how this works?" the doctor asked the little girl as he got his scanner.

"You use that to make sure that there's nothing wrong inside me," Leryn replied.

"That's right."

"But I get to try it on you first."

McCoy laughed. "Oh, so you WERE paying attention that first time we met." Leryn nodded and smiled as he gave her the scanner. "Okay, push that button there, and then hold the other part up next to me like this…"

Nyota smiled at her husband over Leryn's head as they watched. "I can't believe this is real," she whispered. "Is this really happening?"

"It would appear so."

Once Leryn was done, McCoy took the scanner back in order to check her out. He was almost finished when the door opened and Kirk came in the room. "What's the verdict?" the Captain asked.

"She's a little dehydrated," the doctor replied, "But other than that, she's in good shape."

"I sent a message to Starfleet Command," Kirk told Nyota and Spock. "They'll make sure her paperwork gets finalized."

"Thank you," Spock told him.

"Admiral Pike sounded less surprised by all of this than I thought he would. He said he'd make sure new duty orders were processed for both of you. So, welcome back to the Enterprise."

Nyota smiled. "It's good to be back."

As Kirk left, Leryn turned to Spock and knelt on the bed so that they were approximately the same height. "Are you happy, Papa?" she asked him.

"This was the outcome I had most desired."

After a moment of consideration, Leryn reached up with two little fingers and pushed the corners of his mouth into a smile. "Much better," she proclaimed. Nyota tried her hardest not to laugh.

Spock took her hands in his. "Just because you do not see me smile does not mean that I do not appreciate the fact that you are here or that I do not care for you. You should never doubt that you and your mother are the most important things in my life."

Leryn hugged him. "I'm glad I'm here, too."

* * *

By the following afternoon, the family was settling into new, larger quarters on the ship. Two quarters had been combined into one, so Leryn had her own bedroom. The little girl let out a squeal when she entered her room and saw that she had her own windows.

"I can see the stars whenever I want!" she happily announced from the doorway before darting off to start exploring. Nyota smiled as she watched her go.

"Jim mentioned making arrangements so that she can continue to receive schoolwork from Earth," Spock told her. "The primary remaining issue is having someone to supervise her during the day."

She just nodded. "I'm sure we'll figure something out. We already got through the hard part – getting her back."

"So, do you find this arrangement acceptable?" Spock asked his wife. "Staying on the Enterprise, I mean?"

"I do. Space is where Leryn belongs…and I've come to realize that it's where we belong, too. The challenges are still there, but…we'll make it work."

"We already have one standing offer to look out for her when we are busy," he reminded his wife. She smirked.

"You really think we should leave Jim alone with her?"

"Only if the result is captured on video."

She laughed. "Deal. I guess Leryn will have several 'uncles' to look out for her."

"Mmm. My father will be surprised by news of these developments the next time Enterprise passes by the Vulcan colony."

"True…I'm not sure if I ever tried to imagine Sarek with grandchildren running around…It could be an interesting sight."

"Was your use of the plural unintentional," Spock asked, "Or are you now open to the possibility of given Leryn siblings?"

"It was intentional," she replied with a smile. "Circumstances have kind of forced me to be open to the idea."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "What circumstances are you referring to?"

"The fact that she's going to have a sibling in a few months." Nyota was beholden to a rare sight – Spock speechless. "Say something," she prompted when she silence began to drag on.

"You-you are certain?"

She nodded. "I talked to McCoy three days ago. I guess it wasn't just stress that had me sick back in San Francisco."

"And you chose not to tell me?"

"If you'll recall, we were a little busy at the time! This is what you wanted, isn't it? Even if it was unexpected?"

He kissed her. "More than anything."

* * *

FIN.

**A/N: This universe keeps expanding! As my muse demanded, I've started working on another fic to follow on with this one. So, keep an eye out for that, and thanks so much one last time to everyone who sent feedback for this story!**


End file.
